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Boodle's

January 29, 2023

Boodle's is a London gentlemen's club, founded in January 1762, at No. 50 Pall Mall, London, by Lord Shelburne, the future Marquess of Lansdowne and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Boodle's
TypeGentlemen's club
Founded1762; 261 years ago (1762)
FounderWilliam Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne
HeadquartersLondon, SW1

History

The club was originally based next door to William Almack's tavern, in a house also run by him; the club therefore was known as Almack's. It appears to have been formed in opposition to White's (then often called Arthur's): rule 12 as originally drafted forbade any member of Almack's from membership of any other London club, 'nor of what is at present called Arthur's or by whatever Name that Society or Club may be afterwards called, neither of new or old club or any other belonging to it'. In February 1763 this rule was altered and made even more emphatic: 'If any Member of this Society becomes a Member of Arthur's or a Candidate for Arthur's, he is of Course struck out of this Society.' The record book of the new society was kept by Almack as a statement of the terms on which he agreed to provide for the social needs of the members, and it has survived amongst the records of Boodle's.

The first entry, dated 1 January 1762, states that 'William Almack has taken the large new House West of his now dwelling House in Pall Mall for the sole use of a Society Established upon the following Rules.' Until 10 February 1762 membership was to be open to anyone signing his name in the book; thereafter election was to be by ballot, which was always to be held 'in Parliament Time' and one black ball excluded; the total membership was to be limited to 250. After 10 February the members were to appoint thirteen managers, 'each of whom are to have a power to keep order and make the Rules of the Society to be observed'; they were to serve for one year and then each manager was 'to appoint a Successor for the ensuing Year'. The rules of the society could only be changed by the unanimous vote of at least thirty members.

Eighty-eight gentlemen, none of whom appears to have been a member of White's, paid subscriptions for 1762, and the appointment of thirteen managers for the period February 1763 to February 1764 is recorded.

In March 1764 this club appears to have been superseded by or to have divided itself into two separate societies. The reason for this rearrangement is not known, but it may have been connected with members' differing political affiliations, or with the desire of some of them to gamble more heavily than the rules of 1762 permitted. One of the two successor societies moved to No. 49, Almack's tavern, which was converted into a clubhouse; this club would go on to become Brooks's. The other successor society remained at No. 50: this was the club that would become Boodle's. Edward Boodle is known to have been in partnership with William Almack, probably between 1764 and 1768. The present Boodle's Club in St. James's Street possesses two manuscript books, each containing a list of rules and names of subscribers, each virtually identical to each other, indicating Boodle to have taken over management of this society from 1764. The rules in Boodle's books are based on those contained in Almack's book dated 1 January 1762, and many of them are copied verbatim. This similarity makes it clear that Boodle's club was either a continuation or an off-shoot under new management and slightly altered rules of the club which Almack had established in January 1762. It met in the house which the latter had occupied from January 1762 to February 1764, i.e., No. 50 Pall Mall, next door to the house (No. 49) which from 1759 to 1764 was Almack's tavern and from 1764 to 1778 housed Almack's club, before its removal under William Brooks to St. James's Street.

The partnership between Almack and Boodle probably came to an end in 1768, for in that year Boodle succeeded Almack as the ratepayer for No. 50, and in March 1768 Boodle is known to have held a sub-lease of the house from Almack. Contemporary references to the club become much more frequent. Edward Gibbon first mentions Boodle's in a letter of 18 April 1768, and he subsequently became a member of the club; starting in December 1769 he wrote much of his correspondence there, and in 1770 he was one of the managers.

Boodle died on 8 February 1772, and on 13 February it was unanimously resolved that 'Ben Harding shall succeed the late Mr. Boodle in the House and Business, and shall be supported therein'. On 22 February the residue of Edward Boodle's lease from Almack was reassigned to Harding. In spite of the change of proprietor the club continued to be known as Boodle's. It left No. 50 in 1783, following which the house was occupied by Messrs. Hammersley and Co. for a number of years, and was subsequently demolished.

Boodle's is regarded as one of the most prestigious clubs in London,[1] and counts many British aristocrats and notable politicians among its members.[2] It is the second oldest club in the world, with only White's being older. Boodle's Orange Fool is a traditional club dish.[3]

Early members were opponents of William Pitt the Elder’s foreign policies relating to the Seven Years' War, and political allies of Lord Shelburne.[4] The club is generally regarded as being aligned with the Conservative Party, with many of its current and former members holding important positions within the party, although the club is not formally tied to any political party. During the Regency era, Boodle's became known as the club of the English gentry, while White's became the club of the nobility. Four members have been awarded the Victoria Cross and Sir Winston Churchill was one of the few people to be elected to honorary membership. It is reputed that Beau Brummell's last bet took place at the Club before he fled the country to France. Today, membership is strictly by nomination and election only.

In 1782 Boodle's took over the "Savoir Vivre" club house at 28 St. James's Street, London, and has been located there ever since. The building had been designed by John Crunden in 1775. The ground floor was refurbished by John Buonarotti Papworth between 1821 and 1834.

Notable members

In fiction

  • Ian Fleming is said[by whom?] to have based the Blades Club from his James Bond novels on Boodle's. However, Boodle's itself is referenced in the novels Moonraker and You Only Live Twice.
  • Of J. K. Stanford's George Hysteron-Proteron, said to be a member of Boodle's, a real-life member wrote in 1944: "I see the author mentions Boodle's. I don't know if he is a member here but there are six George Proterons sitting round me in the smoking-room at the moment."[5]
  • In the TV series The Avengers (episode "The Charmers") Boodle's is referenced, while in the 1998 film version, The Avengers, Boodle's is shown – Uma Thurman's Emma Peel walks in and it is said "No females have been in Boodle's since 1762".
  • The club is referenced in W. E. B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV's novel The Double Agents, part of the Men at War series. Ian Fleming and David Niven are referenced, as well as their membership at Boodle's. While the actual story is fiction, their memberships at Boodle's and the friendship between the two and their participation in intelligence activities during World War II is factual.
  • The club is referenced as a pleasant retreat from the world's worries in John Whiting's 1951 play A Penny for a Song, when Breeze, manservant to Hallam Matthews, refers to a handkerchief placed over his master's face as "a curtain between you and the world. Out here, vulgar mankind – behind there, Boodles."
  • In Oscar Wilde's 1895 play An Ideal Husband, Sir Robert Chiltern says, "Lord Goring is the result of Boodle's Club, Mrs. Cheveley," after Lord Goring establishes that he is a bachelor. Mrs. Cheveley responds, "He reflects every credit on the institution."
  • In Charles Dickens's 1853 novel Bleak House, ch. XII "On The Watch", a satirical paragraph mentions the Lords Boodle and Coodle, Sir Thomas Doodle, the Duke of Foodle, etc., alluding to the famous club and thereby to the closed set of politicians and other powerful men passing power among themselves.
  • In Operation Crossbow (1965) Bradley (Jeremy Kemp) suggests Boodle's to Lt. Curtis (George Peppard) as a stopover after their 'spy' interviews.
  • In Bernard Cornwell's novel Gallows Thief, taking place in 1817, one of the characters compares Boodle's, along with White's, to the fictional Seraphim Club encountered by the protagonist.
  • The club is often referred to in the ITV series Downton Abbey.
  • In Walt Disney Pictures Jungle Cruise (film), the Jack Whitehall character MacGregor Houghton after awaking from passing out, mentions that was dreaming he was lunching at Boodle's.

See also

References

  • H.M. Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 (1997) ISBN 0-300-07207-4
  1. ^ Colin Joliat, 'Boodle's, the Gentlemen's Club Gin', 18 October 2013 http://guyism.com/lifestyle/alcohol/boodles-gentlemens-club-gin.html
  2. ^ M. Fletcher, 'The Report: Upper-class hideouts', 13 March 2012 http://www.mrporter.com/journal/journal_issue55/4#1
  3. ^ . Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  4. ^ City of London: 'Boodle's Club', Exploring the Heritage of Clubland: The Archives of Boodle's . Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  5. ^ J. K. Stanford, Authors Note prefacing The Twelfth and After (London, 1964), pp. 7–8

Further reading

External links

  • www.boodles.org Official Web Site (Member Access Only)
  • Architectural history, plans, and elevations – from the Survey of London online


Coordinates: 51°30′25″N 0°8′22″W / 51.50694°N 0.13944°W / 51.50694; -0.13944

January 29, 2023
boodle, london, gentlemen, club, founded, january, 1762, pall, mall, london, lord, shelburne, future, marquess, lansdowne, prime, minister, united, kingdom, typegentlemen, clubfounded1762, years, 1762, founderwilliam, petty, earl, shelburneheadquarterslondon, . Boodle s is a London gentlemen s club founded in January 1762 at No 50 Pall Mall London by Lord Shelburne the future Marquess of Lansdowne and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boodle sTypeGentlemen s clubFounded1762 261 years ago 1762 FounderWilliam Petty 2nd Earl of ShelburneHeadquartersLondon SW1 Contents 1 History 2 Notable members 3 In fiction 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksHistory EditThe club was originally based next door to William Almack s tavern in a house also run by him the club therefore was known as Almack s It appears to have been formed in opposition to White s then often called Arthur s rule 12 as originally drafted forbade any member of Almack s from membership of any other London club nor of what is at present called Arthur s or by whatever Name that Society or Club may be afterwards called neither of new or old club or any other belonging to it In February 1763 this rule was altered and made even more emphatic If any Member of this Society becomes a Member of Arthur s or a Candidate for Arthur s he is of Course struck out of this Society The record book of the new society was kept by Almack as a statement of the terms on which he agreed to provide for the social needs of the members and it has survived amongst the records of Boodle s The first entry dated 1 January 1762 states that William Almack has taken the large new House West of his now dwelling House in Pall Mall for the sole use of a Society Established upon the following Rules Until 10 February 1762 membership was to be open to anyone signing his name in the book thereafter election was to be by ballot which was always to be held in Parliament Time and one black ball excluded the total membership was to be limited to 250 After 10 February the members were to appoint thirteen managers each of whom are to have a power to keep order and make the Rules of the Society to be observed they were to serve for one year and then each manager was to appoint a Successor for the ensuing Year The rules of the society could only be changed by the unanimous vote of at least thirty members Eighty eight gentlemen none of whom appears to have been a member of White s paid subscriptions for 1762 and the appointment of thirteen managers for the period February 1763 to February 1764 is recorded In March 1764 this club appears to have been superseded by or to have divided itself into two separate societies The reason for this rearrangement is not known but it may have been connected with members differing political affiliations or with the desire of some of them to gamble more heavily than the rules of 1762 permitted One of the two successor societies moved to No 49 Almack s tavern which was converted into a clubhouse this club would go on to become Brooks s The other successor society remained at No 50 this was the club that would become Boodle s Edward Boodle is known to have been in partnership with William Almack probably between 1764 and 1768 The present Boodle s Club in St James s Street possesses two manuscript books each containing a list of rules and names of subscribers each virtually identical to each other indicating Boodle to have taken over management of this society from 1764 The rules in Boodle s books are based on those contained in Almack s book dated 1 January 1762 and many of them are copied verbatim This similarity makes it clear that Boodle s club was either a continuation or an off shoot under new management and slightly altered rules of the club which Almack had established in January 1762 It met in the house which the latter had occupied from January 1762 to February 1764 i e No 50 Pall Mall next door to the house No 49 which from 1759 to 1764 was Almack s tavern and from 1764 to 1778 housed Almack s club before its removal under William Brooks to St James s Street The partnership between Almack and Boodle probably came to an end in 1768 for in that year Boodle succeeded Almack as the ratepayer for No 50 and in March 1768 Boodle is known to have held a sub lease of the house from Almack Contemporary references to the club become much more frequent Edward Gibbon first mentions Boodle s in a letter of 18 April 1768 and he subsequently became a member of the club starting in December 1769 he wrote much of his correspondence there and in 1770 he was one of the managers Boodle died on 8 February 1772 and on 13 February it was unanimously resolved that Ben Harding shall succeed the late Mr Boodle in the House and Business and shall be supported therein On 22 February the residue of Edward Boodle s lease from Almack was reassigned to Harding In spite of the change of proprietor the club continued to be known as Boodle s It left No 50 in 1783 following which the house was occupied by Messrs Hammersley and Co for a number of years and was subsequently demolished Boodle s is regarded as one of the most prestigious clubs in London 1 and counts many British aristocrats and notable politicians among its members 2 It is the second oldest club in the world with only White s being older Boodle s Orange Fool is a traditional club dish 3 Early members were opponents of William Pitt the Elder s foreign policies relating to the Seven Years War and political allies of Lord Shelburne 4 The club is generally regarded as being aligned with the Conservative Party with many of its current and former members holding important positions within the party although the club is not formally tied to any political party During the Regency era Boodle s became known as the club of the English gentry while White s became the club of the nobility Four members have been awarded the Victoria Cross and Sir Winston Churchill was one of the few people to be elected to honorary membership It is reputed that Beau Brummell s last bet took place at the Club before he fled the country to France Today membership is strictly by nomination and election only In 1782 Boodle s took over the Savoir Vivre club house at 28 St James s Street London and has been located there ever since The building had been designed by John Crunden in 1775 The ground floor was refurbished by John Buonarotti Papworth between 1821 and 1834 Notable members EditThomas Blofeld 1903 1986 Sir John Blofeld born 1932 Henry Blofeld OBE born 1939 Colonel Claud Thomas Bourchier VC 1831 1877 George Beau Bryan Brummell 1778 1840 Colonel John Worthy Chaplin VC CB 1840 1920 Sir Winston Churchill KG OM CH TD PC DL FRS Hon RA 1874 1965 William Cavendish 5th Duke of Devonshire KG 1748 1811 Commander Wilfred Albert Biffy Dunderdale 1899 1990 Julian Kitchener Fellowes Baron Fellowes of West Stafford DL b 1949 Ian Lancaster Fleming 1908 1964 Rt Hon Charles James Fox PC 1749 1806 Edward Gibbon 1737 1794 Andrew R Hargreaves born 1955 John Henniker Major 8th Baron Henniker 1916 2004 David Hume 1711 1776 William Petty FitzMaurice 1st Marquess of Lansdowne KG PC 1737 1805 Charles Lyell 2nd Baron Lyell VC 1913 1943 Sir William Miles 1st Baronet 1797 1878 Sir William Roger Clotworthy Moore TD 3rd Baronet born 1927 James David Graham Niven 1910 1983 Brigadier John Jack Profumo 5th Baron Profumo CBE 1915 2006 Richard Spring Baron Risby born 1946 Adam Smith 1723 1790 Michael Angelo Taylor 1757 1834 Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington KG GCB GCH PC FRS 1769 1852 John Fane 10th Earl of Westmorland KG PC 1759 1841 William Wilberforce 1759 1833 In fiction EditIan Fleming is said by whom to have based the Blades Club from his James Bond novels on Boodle s However Boodle s itself is referenced in the novels Moonraker and You Only Live Twice Of J K Stanford s George Hysteron Proteron said to be a member of Boodle s a real life member wrote in 1944 I see the author mentions Boodle s I don t know if he is a member here but there are six George Proterons sitting round me in the smoking room at the moment 5 In the TV series The Avengers episode The Charmers Boodle s is referenced while in the 1998 film version The Avengers Boodle s is shown Uma Thurman s Emma Peel walks in and it is said No females have been in Boodle s since 1762 The club is referenced in W E B Griffin and William E Butterworth IV s novel The Double Agents part of the Men at War series Ian Fleming and David Niven are referenced as well as their membership at Boodle s While the actual story is fiction their memberships at Boodle s and the friendship between the two and their participation in intelligence activities during World War II is factual The club is referenced as a pleasant retreat from the world s worries in John Whiting s 1951 play A Penny for a Song when Breeze manservant to Hallam Matthews refers to a handkerchief placed over his master s face as a curtain between you and the world Out here vulgar mankind behind there Boodles In Oscar Wilde s 1895 play An Ideal Husband Sir Robert Chiltern says Lord Goring is the result of Boodle s Club Mrs Cheveley after Lord Goring establishes that he is a bachelor Mrs Cheveley responds He reflects every credit on the institution In Charles Dickens s 1853 novel Bleak House ch XII On The Watch a satirical paragraph mentions the Lords Boodle and Coodle Sir Thomas Doodle the Duke of Foodle etc alluding to the famous club and thereby to the closed set of politicians and other powerful men passing power among themselves In Operation Crossbow 1965 Bradley Jeremy Kemp suggests Boodle s to Lt Curtis George Peppard as a stopover after their spy interviews In Bernard Cornwell s novel Gallows Thief taking place in 1817 one of the characters compares Boodle s along with White s to the fictional Seraphim Club encountered by the protagonist The club is often referred to in the ITV series Downton Abbey In Walt Disney Pictures Jungle Cruise film the Jack Whitehall character MacGregor Houghton after awaking from passing out mentions that was dreaming he was lunching at Boodle s See also EditList of London s gentlemen s clubsReferences EditH M Colvin A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600 1840 1997 ISBN 0 300 07207 4 Colin Joliat Boodle s the Gentlemen s Club Gin 18 October 2013 http guyism com lifestyle alcohol boodles gentlemens club gin html M Fletcher The Report Upper class hideouts 13 March 2012 http www mrporter com journal journal issue55 4 1 Gret British Cookbook Boodle s Orange Fool Archived from the original on 3 January 2014 Retrieved 1 July 2020 City of London Boodle s Club Exploring the Heritage of Clubland The Archives of Boodle s Boodles Club Archived from the original on 4 January 2014 Retrieved 3 January 2014 J K Stanford Authors Note prefacing The Twelfth and After London 1964 pp 7 8Further reading EditBinney Marcus Mann David eds 2012 Boodle s Celebrating 250 Years 1762 2012 Marlborough Libanus Press ISBN 978 0 9574617 0 3 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a first2 has generic name help Fulford Roger 1962 Boodle s 1762 1962 A Short History London Boodle s Lejeune Anthony Lewis Malcolm 1979 The Gentlemen s Clubs of London London Wh Smith Pub ISBN 0 8317 3800 6 Lejeune Anthony 2012 The Gentlemen s Clubs of London London Stacey International ISBN 978 1 906768 20 1 Thevoz Seth Alexander 2018 Club Government How the Early Victorian World was Ruled from London Clubs London I B Tauris Bloomsbury ISBN 978 1 78453 818 7 Thevoz Seth Alexander 2022 Behind Closed Doors The Secret Life of London Private Members Clubs London Robinson Little Brown ISBN 978 1 47214 646 5 External links Editwww boodles org Official Web Site Member Access Only Architectural history plans and elevations from the Survey of London online Coordinates 51 30 25 N 0 8 22 W 51 50694 N 0 13944 W 51 50694 0 13944 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Boodle 27s amp oldid 1131613816, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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